Calm in the Chaos
by alyssalove388
Summary: Bella Swan is starting her freshman year at Columbia University in NYC. The Cullens are NYC royalty. Edward Cullen resents his star status and secludes himself from the public. Can she deal with city life? Can he find calm in the chaos? My 1st fanfic!
1. Chapter 1: A New Life

**AN:** Hi there! After reading the Twilight Saga and seeing the first movie, I needed more Twilight. I started reading fan fics in January of 2009 and immediately fell in love. This is my first fan fic ever and I'd love to know what you think. Thanks!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!!**

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Sly as a cat, he slinks in the dark space. An odd thing- relishing the cold darkness. A vampiric existence, if ever there was one. His world, this curse, has taught him lonely lessons in survival.

A familiar beat, a thrumming noise, a steady rhythm seep into his mind. Knowing what comes next, he tried unsuccessfully to shut out the intrusion.

Two syllables. Two syllables to which he is bound. Two syllables he has come to resent.

Running a hand through his hair, down the scruff of his unshaven face, he let out a deep sigh. No chance of evading it now.

Thrumming, beating, syllables grow louder, stronger, faster. They haunt him wherever he goes, suckling what poor excuse for a soul he has left.

_Why was I never given a choice for this life? _The brooding figure asked himself.

He splashed water over his face- a last cry to wake him from this prison- and glanced at his reflection with extreme disinterest.

Thrumming, beating, syllables crying.

Walking over to the door, he gently rapped his forehead against the wood and opens the barrier. One step and the delicate film between chaos and calm would be gone.

Two syllables now a steady screech in the air.

One step.

He stood on the ledge under the sign that so wickedly mocked him. The action alone vaulted the sea into a dangerous storm. As if they need more.

"Ed-ward! Ed-ward! ED-WARD!!!" The sea screamed at his face, enforcing his bindings, tying him tight.

Placing a careful smile on his face, he waved to the abyss and stepped out and away from the sign which so boldly read **EDWARD CULLEN**.

Turning back, the trailer looked like a palace- an oasis to a man dying of thirst. Hands in his hair, he turned his back on the palace and began his march through the sea.

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**Bella**

"Well, this is home!"

"Wow, it's even bigger then I imagined it would be. I feel like such a thief."

I looked around the space that was to be my home for the next year at least. Moving New York was one of the scariest and most invigorating decisions I'd ever made. My home in Forks, Washington wasn't even a blip on the radar screen compared to this city. Regardless, I loved my home and almost reconsidered my new life more than once this summer. I bet there were more people living in two blocks of my apartment than the population of Forks.

"Yeah I know it's still tight but, hey, that's NYC, right?! I couldn't find anything bigger on our budget." Angela, my roommate and fellow Forks High survivor, laughed. We both knew very well neither one of us could afford this place. Turns out, Angela's grandma liked to invest in real-estate and had a two bedroom in Greenwich Village she so willingly offered to us for a serious steal on rent. I felt bad about taking it for so little, but anyone who had a grandma knows they don't take no for an answer. We took the deal on the condition that we would both have jobs within two weeks.

Angela and I were fast friends when I moved to Forks my junior year of high school. Charlie, my father, was the Chief of Police, and hers the pastor of the local church--so we bonded over the common feeling of always being watched. After I decided to trek cross-country to Columbia University, she was majorly supportive and helped me plan for any sticky situation. She even sat with me while I told Charlie. And when she went thru a devastating break up with Ben, I insisted she come with me.

The weekend she was accepted was one of the best memories I have of Forks.

Now that the moment was here, I couldn't begin to imagine doing this on my own.

We took the rest of the day to set up our things in the apartment. By some miracle, we each had a room with a door. Before accepting this place, it seemed we'd have to do the old "hang a blanket" routine for privacy--thank you, Grammy Weber!! Every wall (apart from the bedrooms) in our place was brick and two rather nice windows lit the place in sunlight. _That will save us on electricity bills. Speaking of which, would it be too much to go job hunting today? Relax, Bella. You just got here._ For safety, every visitor had to be buzzed in, and Fort Knox had nothing on our apartment door.

Charlie liked that part.

I made a mental note to start the job hunt tomorrow. There certainly was an abundance of variety here. Forks had about three options for high school job-hunters: Wendy's, Wal-Mart, or Thriftway.

That night, we made popcorn and lemonade and talked about our new lives as not-so-city girls.


	2. Chapter 2: Bella Swan Meets NYC

**AN: Thanks to Samirabws for giving me my very first review! This one is short but I am writing the next right this moment!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns it all...even me.**

Bella

My first day as a college student did not go without a hitch.

Somehow I managed to wake up 2 hours before class, and still arrive 15 minutes late.

I had spent the past week memorizing subway trains, stops, and alternate routes to campus. Angela and I timed our morning routes so we would know just how long it took to get to our classes - 20 minutes. It was the perfect plan.

The universe had to be against me.

I woke up at 6 am, ready and excited. Showered and dressed in one of my trusty t-shirts, jeans, and Chucks in 30 minutes. I spent the rest of my hour assuring my mom, Renee, for the millionth time that I could live and go to school in New York City, making scrambled eggs and English muffins for Angela and myself, and packing my things in my bookbag.

I left the apartment at 7:30 on the dot- giving myself an extra 10 minutes in case something went awry on the way.

I'm not sure what exactly happened. All of the sudden, the fact that I was actually doing this…actually living on my own in NYC…hit me. Walking on the sidewalk, I immersed myself in New York morning rush. I was surrounded by more people than I have ever seen in my life. I had to fight my way on to the train, after being tossed around and left on the platform with a whole new round of workers once (which definitely set me back time wise).

I felt nauseous and dizzy. I kept telling myself to suck it up._ This is your life now. This is your city…just as much as anyone else on this train. _But the looks I was getting told me otherwise. Their eyes screamed 'tourist' and 'new girl' and they avoided me like the plague.

I was so flustered that I missed my stop by two points and had to run back south once I finally realized my mistake.

It was 8 am and I was running through the streets of New York.

Once I got my bearings and made my way onto campus, I was 10 minutes late. Thankfully I found my building, Philosophy Hall easily.

I sprinted down the hallway, rounded the corner…and ran smack into someone.

"Oof. Ah, sorry. I'm so sorry." I babbled, scrambling to get up and pick up my bag. I could see the door to my class right past my victim's shoulder.

I felt his hands on my arms, helping me get vertical and I looked up, staring right into the most gorgeous pair of green lagoon eyes I have ever seen.

Then I noticed his brownish auburn, messy hair. It was beautiful. My hand twitched, wanting to run through his locks. _Okay, psycho._

He cleared his throat and my eyes snapped back into focus.

He had picked up my bag and was holding it out for me. It took a fraction of a second to regain my composure and I took it from him.

"You'll want to be more careful," said a low, angry…sexy voice.

The beautiful boy was scowling at me. _You just plowed into him, idiot._

Too stunned to say anything in return, I cast my eyes to the floor, nodded once, mumbled something along the lines of "hyueah", and headed for the shelter of my classroom.

I walked into English Comp 1000 with my heart racing, my butt aching, and my head swimming.

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**AN: Review? Please?**


	3. Chapter 3: Casa de Cullen

**AN: Here's the next chapter! I'll probably try to update every Friday. Thanks to those of you who have put this little ditty on your alerts and favorites! That's awesome. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters.**

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**Chapter 3**

Edward

"Honestly, bro, I dunno why you let it get to you so bad" Emmett dropped the newspaper on the coffee table and slumped onto the couch.

"I know you don't. You're not the one with screaming paparazzi and fan-girls running after you."

"Hey, I have my share of it. Everyone in this family does. It comes with the Cullen name. And they only chase you worse 'cause you run."

He had a point. I knew keeping to myself and taking every chance I had to run from the spotlight only made them hunt me down that much more.

Dr. Carlisle Cullen, my father, was the best surgeon in the country. Hospitals all over would fly him in to do impossible surgeries and life-saving techniques. He had written two books and made quite the name for himself and, by association, his family. Esme Cullen, my mother, was one of the hottest designers in the world. Dealing mostly with architecture and interior decorating, she knew almost every celebrity in Hollywood. My younger sister, Alice, loved to go with her to meetings and gave input in redesign methods. And Emmett was the prince of the city. Local party boy and "Mr. Personality"; he had no qualms about public scrutiny. Probably because everyone loved him.

Hell, I can see why. My siblings and I were closer than close. Maybe even closer than blood siblings; all three of us were adopted. My parents were married at 24 years old and, soon after, attempted to start their family. When they found out that, biologically, it was never to be, they filed for adoption. The fame and fortune side of their lives made the adoption process a lot less grueling than it is for others. Emmett, Alice, and myself were all adopted before the age of two. The only thing I was told about my birth was that my mother had died in childbirth. Though, truly it didn't matter- none of us had any desire to find our birth parents. Carlisle and Esme were all we needed in this life. We were as bonded together as a family could be.

And the three of us made the joint decision to stay in the city for college- Columbia University winning our favor.

You would think I would have wanted to go far away from New York for college. I studied in London for a year of prep school and hated every moment. The Cullen name was just as prestigious overseas as in the States. Except overseas I didn't have my family. Mostly Alice. From the start, Alice took watch over me, which is funny since I'm a year older. She's the strongest person and personality I know. What Alice wants…Alice gets.

"Leave him alone, Em. You've seen what it's like for him…girls throw themselves at him at every corner. You don't have to worry about that now you have Rose." Alice bounded into the room and plopped onto the couch with him, feet in his lap.

"Even still…having girls all over you is never a _bad_ thing. But Edster here acts like they've all got the bubonic plague."

"Shove it with the 'Edster' nickname, Emmett. Or I'll gladly assist you." I demanded.

"Shove it with the thought of girls all over you or you are definitely not getting any ever again!" Rosalie called from the kitchen.

"That'll shut him up." Jasper chortled from the doorway. Alice squealed and launched herself into his arms.

Jasper Whitlock was what you would call a true southern gentleman. (Let's forget the fact that he cusses like a sailor and drinks like a fish on weekends) Great-great-great grandson of a Charlestonian plantation owner, he was definitely 'Southern Money'. The Whitlock family owned one of the houses on the Battery that overlooks Fort Sumter and- to hear them tell it, they watched the beginning of the Civil War from their second-story balcony. They had gone into the tobacco business and forced Jasper to focus only on like pursuits. He never spoke much about his family, but it seems like a pretty tumultuous relationship that led him to drink his demons away.

Jasper had come to NY two years ago for a break from his family- a change of scenery. One night, at Jane Volturi's party, he met Alice and that visit turned into a permanent relocation. I was really happy for them. They worked together like nothing I had ever seen before, save for my parents. He knew how to keep the pixie down-to-earth, and she knew how to lift the spirits of a man who had seen his share of dirty dealings.

Emmett's girlfriend, Rosalie Hale, was a bitch in heels if I ever met one. We loved her, though, because in the past seven months she managed to tame the beast we call Emmett. She and I didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues and had an immediate brother/sister, love/hate relationship. Rose was the only member of my close circle who wasn't from big money. Not that that is a problem by any means. In fact, I preferred not to mingle with other NY elite. But often times, those who weren't within my family's circle were after me. But Rosalie made it clear that I was not her target and my brother went goofy with happiness whenever she was around.

I was alone of my own making. I really just didn't think romance or a partner in life is on my path…much to the dismay of my parents, Alice, and Rose.

Rose had tried on several occasions to set me up with her socialite friend, Tanya Denali. Tanya was the picture of a Barbie doll. Stick straight strawberry blonde hair, slender, lean frame from working out five days a week, big boobs, and knew everyone in town. She even drove a hot pink Lexus convertible with zebra print seats. In other words…exactly the opposite from what I was attracted to.

An image popped into my mind of chestnut brown waves and big chocolate brown eyes. I wondered where I'd seen them before briefly before I was thrown out of my thought process by a jog-by pillow to the head.

"Yo! Are you in there little bro? You haven't answered my question."

"What was your question, Em?" I chucked the pillow back at him.

"Well…while you were off in the La La Land that is your mind, Alice and Rose were telling me about the innocent girl you frightened today. I asked you if you were planning on scaring the pants off every girl who comes in a five foot radius of you now." He caught me in a head lock and ruffled my already unruly mess of hair.

Chestnut waves…brown eyes…freesias. My hallway attacker.

"I wasn't trying to scare her, you big giant. She came tearing around the corner and I thought it was another crazy fan girl. I didn't realize she simply just ran into me until she ran off into her class."

"She was pretty! I wonder who she is? Oh, she would be so much more beautiful if she knew how to dress! I don't understand these girls who think that frumpy t-shirts and jeans are a good look. She had such nice features. If only I could get my hands on her…" Alice babbled on about color schemes and whatnot for a good five minutes with Rose. Jasper and Emmett started playing Call of Duty while I my mind kept reliving this morning.

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**AN: They will meet next chapter. Please review! :)**


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